Piano-action.



R. H. MULLINER.

PIANO ACTION.

AIfPLIOATION IILED JUNE 12, 1912.

I 1,082,895. Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ATTORNEYS R. H. MULLINER.

PIANO ACTION.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 12, .1912.

1,082,895, Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES! INVENTOR BY I fw% I ATTORNEYS Lu BIA PLANDGRAPHCO.,WASNINGTON, D. c.

RICHARD H. MULLINER, or sYRAoUsE, NEW YORK.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed June 12, 1912. Serial No. 703,230.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD H. MULLINER ofSyracuse, in the county of Onondaga an State of New York, have inventeda new and useful Piano-Action, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has for its object a piano action in which the partsthereof are compactly arranged, the action including particularly noveland efficient means for mov ing the jack out of engagement with thehammer butt and for preventing the rebound of the hammer; and theinvention consists in the combinations and constructions hereinafter setforth and claimed. Other objects will appear throughout thespecification.

In describing this invention reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of the piano action, the parts beingshown in their initial or starting position, in Fig. 1, and in theirpositions occupied just after the blow has been struck, in Fig. 2. Fig.3 is an elevation looking to the leftin Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 arefragmentary views of modified forms of features of this piano action.

I have here illustrated my invention as embodied in a piano action forupright pianos, and 1 and 2 are rails constituting parts of the framesupporting the piano action.

3 is the key and 1 the wire.

5 is the hammer, and 6 is the hammer butt pivoted at 7 to a bearing 8suitably supported by the frame 1.

9, 10 and 11 are, respectively, powertransmitting parts between the keyand the hammer, said parts being common y known, respectively, as theabstract or sticker, the wippen or jack lever, and the jack. However,throughout the specification and claims, these terms are used forconvenience and so far as my invention is concerned any other membersperforming the function of these parts may be employed.

The wippen 10 is pivoted in the usual manner at 12 to a hanger 13associated with the rail 1; and the jack 11 is pivoted at 14: touprights or cars 15 rising from the free end of the wippen, the upperend of the jack eoacting with the usual shoulder 16 in the hammer butt6, and the ack being acted on by a spring 17 interposed between the heel18 thereof and the wippen and acting to move the jack 11, on its pivot14 to press the upper end thereof into engagement with the shoulder 16.

One feature of my invention includes means for forcing the jack 11 onits pivot 1a out of engagement with the hammer butt 6, said means havingmotion relatively to the wippen and serving to move the jack 11 on itspivot 14 outof engagement with the shoulder 16 after the hammer has beengiven its impulse, but before the same strikes the wire 1. Said means ishere shown as a rocking member or lever 19 arranged above the wippen 10in position to be actuated thereby, said lever being preferably locatedbetween the pivot 12 of the wippen l0 and the pivot 14 of the jack 11and coacting between its ends with the wippen 10 and at its oppositeends respectively with a fixed point on the rail 1 and with a shoulderassociated with the jack 11. Preferably the lever 19 is pivoted, as at20, at one end to the hanger 13 provided on the rail 1 and is fulcrumedbetween its ends at 21 on the upper edge of the wippen 10, and thepivotal movement thereof is resisted by a returning spring 22. However,as seen in Figs. 1 and 5, the lever 19 may be carried by the wippen andpivoted between its ends at 23 to uprights or cars rising from thewippen 10, and be fulcrumed at 24 at a fixed point on the rail 1; andthe returning spring may be located in any suitable manner asillustrated at 25 and 26. In Figs. 1 and a, the fixed point 21 is shownas provided on the main part of the rail instead of on the hanger 13 asin Figs. 1 and 2.

The shoulder associated with the jack is preferably provided on a member27 pivoted to the jack, as at 28, and located on the inner side thereof,said member being adjustable about its pivot to cooperate mostefficiently with the lever 19, by a screw 29 threading through the jack11 and operating to move the member 27 on its pivot 28 against theaction of a suitable spring 30.

Owing to the fact that the leverage of the lever 19 is less than that ofthe wippen or jack lever 10, said levers have differential movement, andthe lever 19 imparts to the the initial part of the movement of thewippen 10 by the key 3, and as soon as the lost motion is taken up, thelever 19 quickly moves the jack on its pivot from the position shown inFig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2.

Another feature of my invention comprises means for checking the hammer,said means cooperating with the jack. This means comprises an angularlyarranged arm 31 extending downwardly and rearwardly from the hammer buttand from the pivot point 7 thereof, that is, in a direction away fromthe wire or from the direction of movement of the hammer when strikingthe blow, said arm 31 having a bearing face 32 on the underside of itslower end, which surface 32 coacts with an upwardly facing bearing face33 provided at the inner side of the jack 11, these surfaces 32 and 33being located between the pivot 7 of the hammer butt and the pivot 14 ofthe jack. Said surface 33 is inclined relatively to a radial planeindicated by the line 34 and intersecting said surface, so that thesurfaces 32 and 33 will wedge snugly in engagement during the rebound ofthe hammer, as seen in Fig. 2, and hence prevent the hammer fromrebounding. As seen in Fig. 5, the surface 33 may be formed on anadjustable part as a block 35 associated with the jack 11, the blockbeing shown as pivoted at 36 to the jack 11 and as held in position byan ad justing member as a screw 37.

My invention also includes means for re turning the hammer to its normalposition in engagement with the hammer-rest rail 38. Said meanscomprises a flexible connection as a bridle strap or cord 39 connectedat one end at 40 to the arm 31 and at its other end to the member 19near the free end thereof, so that the return movement of the member 19by the springs 22 and 17 serves to also return the hammer 5 intoengagement with the hammer rest rail 38. This feature is particularlyadvantageous in that it requires no additional parts to be added to themechanism other than the flexible connection 39.

My invention also includes buffer means for regulating the blow of thehammer. This buffer means, as here shown, includes two parts carriedrespectively by the rail 1, and the hammer butt 6, one of the partsbeing s ring-pressed. As here illustrated, the spring-pressed part 41 iscarried by a block 42 associated with the rail 1, and the other part 43is carried by the hammer butt *6, both of said parts being adjustable.The part 41 is here shown as pivoted at 44 to the block 42 and held inits adjusted position by means of a screw 45, and the part 43 is shownas carried by a screw 46 extending transversely through the hammer butt.The buffer means is for the purpose of regulating the blow of thehammers so that all the hammers can be regulated to strike substantiallythe same blow when the key is struck a given blow. By turning the screwthe tension of the spring of the part 41 can be adjusted to restrain theblow of the hammer more or less and by turning the screw 46, the part 43can be adjusted to engage the part 41 at the proper time.

My piano action is particularly advantageous in that it consists ofcompactly arranged parts and in that the bridle strap is connected toparts performing other functions in the operation of the action so thatadditional parts for the bridle strap are unnecessary.

hat I claim is:

1. In a piano action, a wippen, a. jack carried by the wippen, and amember arranged in the path of movement of the wippen and mounted tomove relatively to the wippen, said member being also arranged to engagethe jack to force the same out of engagement with the hammer butt duringthe action of the wippen, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. In a piano action, a wippen, a jack carried by the wippen and formedwith a shoulder, and a pivoted member arranged in the path of movementof the wippen and to move relatively to the wippen into engagement withsaid shoulder to force the jack out of engagement with the hammer butt.substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a piano action, a pivoted wippen, a jack carried by the wippen, alever arranged in the path of movement of the wippen, the lever having adifferent pivotal point from that of the wippen and being arrairged toengage the jack to move the same out of engagement with the hammer butt,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a piano action, a pivoted wippen, a jack pivotally connected tothe wippen and having a shoulder, and a lever arranged above the wippenin position to be actuated thereby, the lever having a different pivotalpoint from that of the wippen, said lever being arranged to coact withsaid shoulder to move the jack relatively to the wippen out ofengagement with the hammer butt, the lever extending in the path of thewippen in position to be actuated thereby, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

5. In a piano action, two levers arranged to have relative movement, anda jack carried by one of the levers and movable there with and having aportion arranged in the path of movement of the other lever, so that thejack is moved relatively to the lever which carries the jack,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a piano action, two levers arranged to have relative movement, anda jack pivotally connected to one of the levers and carried thereby andhaving a portion arranged in the path of movement of the other leverwhereby the jack is moved on its pivot by the latter lever,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a piano action, a wippen pivoted at one end, a jack pivotallyconnected at the other end of the wippen and having a shoulder locatedabove the wippen, and a lever arranged above the wippen in position tomove therewith, the lever having a different pivotal point from that ofthe wippen and being located intermediate of the ends of the wippen andarranged to engage with said shoulder to move the jack on its pivotduring the pivotal movement of the wippen, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

8. An upright piano action comprising a supporting rail; a wippenpivoted at one end to the rail, a jack pivotally mounted on the otherend of the wippen and having a shoulder, and a lever arranged above thewippen in position to move therewith, the lever being located betweenthe ends of the wippen and coacting at points spaced apart with a fixedpoint on the rail and with said shoulder on the ack, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

9. A piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippen pivoted to therail, a jack pivotally mounted on the wippen and having a shoulder, anda lever interposed between the rail and the wippen and having itsintermediate portion arranged in the path of the wippen, and having itsopposite ends engaging respectively with the rail and with saidshoulder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a piano action, a wippen, a jack carried by the wippen, a memberarranged in the path of movement of the wippen, and engaging with thejack to force the jack out of engagement with the hammer-butt during theactuation of the wippen, and a spring arranged to act on said member toresist movement thereof during the actuation of the wippen,substantially as and for the purpose described.

11.. An upright piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippenpivoted to the rail, a jack pivotally mounted on the wippen and formedwith a shoulder, a lever arranged above the wippen in position to movetherewith, the lever being mounted to coact at points spaced apart witha fixed point 011 the rail and with the shoulder of the jack, and aspring arranged to resist pivotal movement of the lever during actuationof the wippen, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

12. An upright piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippenpivoted to the rail, a jack pivotally mounted on the wippen and providedwith a shoulder, a lever arranged above the wippen between the rail andthe jack in position to engage between its ends with the wippen and atits opposite ends respectively with the rail and with said shoulder, anda spring arranged to act on said lever to resist pivotal movementthereof during the action of the wippen, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

13. A piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippen pivoted to therail, a jack pivotally mounted on the wippen and provided on its innerside with an adjustable part having its lower face opposed to the upperedge of the wippen, a lever arranged above the wippen in position tomove therewith and to coaet between its ends with the wippen and at itsopposite ends respectively with the rail and said part, substantially asand for the purpose described.

14. In a piano action, a wippen, a jack carried by the wippen, a memberarranged in the path of movement of the wippen and to engage the jack toforce the jack out of engagement with the hammer, and means connectingthe hammer butt and said member whereby the hammer butt is returned toits starting position by the movement of said member, substantially asand for the purpose described.

In a piano action, a wippen, a jack carried by the wippen, and coactingwith the hammer butt, the hammer butt being provided with an arm orextension, a member arranged in the path of movement of the wippen to beoperated by the wippen, and means connecting said arm and said memberfor transmitting the return movement of said member to the hammer andreturning the hammer to its starting position, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

16. In a piano action, a wippen, a jack carried by the wippen andcoacting with the hammer butt, the butt having an arm or extension, amember arranged in the path of the wippen to be operated by the wippen,said member being also arranged to engage the ask to force the jack outof engagement with the hammer butt, and means connecting said arm andsaid member for transmitting the return movement of said member to thehammer and thus returning the hammer to its starting position,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

17. In a piano action, the hammer having its butt formed with an arm, awippen, a jack carried by the wippen and coacting with the hammer butt,a member arranged in the path or" movement 01" the wippen to be operatedby the wippen, said member being also arranged to engage the jack toforce the jack out of engagement with the hammer butt, means connectingthe hammer butt and said member whereby the hammer is returned to itsstarting position by said memher, and means coacting with said arm tocheck the hammer, substantially as and for the purpose described.

18. An upright piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippenpivoted at one end to the rail, a jack pivotally mounted on th other endof the wippen and provided with a shoulder, a lever arranged above thewippen in the path of the wippen to be actuated thereby and to coactbetween its ends with the wippen and at its opposite ends re spectivelywith the rail and with said shoulder, and a bridle strap connecting thehammer butt and said member whereby the hammer is returned to itsstarting position by said member, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

19. An upright piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippenpivoted at one end to the rail, a jack pivotally mounted on the otherend of the wippen and provided with a shoulder, a lever arranged abovethe wippen in position to move therewith and to eoact between its endswith the wippen and at its opposite ends respectively with the rail andwith said shoulder, a bridle strap connecting the hammer butt and saidmember whereby the hammer is returned to its starting position by saidmember, and a s rin for normall resistin movement of said member by thewippen and for returning said member to its starting position,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

20. An upright piano action comprising a supporting rail, a wippenpivoted at one end to the rail, a jack pivotally mounted on the otherend of the wippen and provided with a shoulder, a lever arranged abovethe wippen in position to move therewith and to coact between its endswith the wippen and at its opposite ends respectively with the rail andsaid shoulder, and being normally spaced apart from said shoulder, thehammer butt being provided with an arm or extension, a flexibleconnection between said arm and said member, the jack and said memberbeing provided with surfaces normally spaced apart. and arranged in eachothers path in order to engage after the hammer has been actuated,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in theState of New York, this 15th day of May, 1912.

RICHARD H. MULLINER. lVitnesses S. DAVIS, L. M. DAVIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

